Posts Tagged ‘Chestnut St. improvements’

Bastrop wins grant for sidewalk extention

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–After four attempts in as many years, the Bastrop Main Street Program finally won a grant for $150,000 to finish an improvement project on Chestnut Street.

The grant of Federal money through the Texas Department of Agriculture only targets Texas Main Street Program cities.

The project will extend the recently completed sidewalk installation and related features east from the new city hall and convention center across Gills Branch and link up with Texas 95 on both sides of Chestnut Street. The main feature will be a foot bridge across Gills Branch to link the convention center, due for completion early next year, to the Chestnut Square entertainment center.

Chestnut Street sidewalk and related improvements between Water Street and the Union Pacific Railroad were financed by the Bastrop Economic Development Corp. Similar work between Water and Main Street was paid for with separate grant money from the Texas Department of Transportation.

Bastrop City Manager Mike Talbot credited Bastrop Main Street Program manager Nancy Wood with pushing the latest grant award to success. Work should begin next year.

Chestnut Street improvements to cost $897,000

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Bastrop, Tx–Tuesday the Bastrop City Council is expected to endorse a plan by the Bastrop Economic Development Corp. board to spend $897,000 on improving the part of Chestnut Street (Loop 150) between Water Street and the Union Pacific Railroad.

In a special meeting at 7:30 a.m. Friday the BEDC board formally accepted the base bid by Smith Contracting Co. of Austin for the work along with two alternative items, one of which is designed to protect large trees along the project route. The other addition calls for designing, casting and installing more than 40 bronze medallions highlighting events from Bastrop’s colorful history in new sidewalks which are included in the work plan.

The board could not act on the contract at its regular session Monday because it was not adequately listed on the meeting agenda.

A tree specialist will oversee the tree protection work, and a local bronze foundry will design, produce and install the medallions, an addition urged by Bastrop Main Street Program officials.

Smith Contracting has done at least four previous projects for Bastrop, most visibly the utility, drainage and street reconstruction of Pecan Street between Chestnut and Texas 71. Engineering estimates for the Chestnut Street work initially put the cost at $1.4 million.

Work is expected to begin later this year.